CHAR-KOOSTA
PUBLISHED BY CONFEDERATED SALISH AND KOOTENAI TRIBES, FLATHEAD AGENCY, MONT. Vol. 3 — 11 September, 1959
Quarter of a Million Dollars In Seven Weeks
The traditional use of evergreen trees during the Christmas season, brings all Montanans in close contact with fragrance and freshness of the forest. Christmas trees probably add more to the period of "peace on earth, good will toward men," than any other product on earth. Indoors and outdoors Christmas trees have become essential for decorations in homes, parks and on streets. The spreading branches seem most fittingly, too, as a delightful hiding place for Santa Claus' presents for children and adults.
Up to date on the Flathead Reservation, most of the Christmas tree yards are ahead of schedule in comparison to previous years despite the blight stricken area in the Valley Creek country, which does produce a large number of trees. There are thirty Christmas tree yards on the Reservation, besides individual Truckers who usually purchase trees and a few "fly by night" Truckers make up the trees that leave the Reservation. We class this program as worth a quarter million dollars and covers about seven weeks. Tribal stump-age amounts to about one fourth the purchase price per bale by the yards. For instance in 1958 Tribal stumpage amounted to a little over $50,000, therefore, the cutters must have received over $150,000 and there is a number of people who work in the yards by the hour.
From all indications the Christmas tree income this year will be much higher, than any previous year. This year the Tribal Council set a minimum price of $2.00 per bale, the price the buyers must pay the cutters, or we would not have the program.
Last year the buyers got their heads together first and told us what they would pay which was $1.75 per bale. At the present time the going price is $2.15 per bale.
One of the impressive things about our program is many Flathead people are kept off the welfare rolls by this project. Some individuals make over $100 a day. School children take advantage of this program on week ends in order that they may put away a few dollars for school activities, clothes, etc.
The depressing part of the program is some of our cutters have no regard for conservation. Of course, this is selfishness to themselves and others. In this case the good is condemned because of the bad actors.
We hope for an even better season next year, and it is wonderful that our trees may make other people happy at a very important time of the year,as our trees reach all points of the United States and Cuba. Our Christmas tree field inspectors this year are Ray Gar-dipe of Arlee, Joe Parker, Camas Prairie, and Jack Garcia of Poison.
In 195S, 3.6 million trees were shipped from over all the great state of Montana and that was four per cent below the 1957 figure. With the establishment of the tree plantations near many of the large cities in the west coast and also in the Chicago area, Montana Christmas tree growers must practice the best cultural work to produce trees to compete with those grown close to the market.
Why can't we Tribal members let our conscience be our guide, and treat this program with respect and conserve our trees by taking care of them and use good management. If one doesn't care for themselves think of the children of this Tribe as a baby tree. The white man spends money for this tree plantation besides the expense of maintaining his program. Mr. Indian with the mountains on the Flathead full of Douglas fir, with not a nickle of investment, but still some of us are selfish and cut an 18-inch tree for a six-foot top. When the tree hits the ground, probably the tree will break anyhow, what have we then? A wasted tree, not even trimmed. The public opinion on the program among the Indian today is varied, some will say it's ridiculous and the disrespect for Tribal and personal property is being brought out, while others will uphold the program.
Ordinances Affecting Enrollment of Members
One of the important subjects of the present and the future of the Flathead Reservation is the problem of enrollment.
Under our present Constitution and By-Laws of the Confederated Salish-Kootenai Tribes, the governing body (Tribal Council) duly elected by the people, have certain authorities vested upon them with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior or his representatives. However, there were no provisions for the enrollment of the people born prior to the adoption of the Constitution and By-Laws of the October 28, 1935, whose names were not on that roll Nor were there any provisions made for emergencies such as World War II where children were born in foreign countries or other Slates, which did happen. Nor were there any reservations in the Constitution where the child may be denied enrollment because of negligence of the parents.
It will be interesting to learn that the enrollment problem on this Reservation has been a problem since the day we signed the Treaty of July 16. 1855.
One of the provisions of the Treaty was the Chiefs, who were appointed, would serve the Indian public. The Chiefs would receive $500.00 a year as long as they filled the bill in acting as executives. In their authority the enrollv' ment problem was handled. One of the laws they had was the western Indians would h3 enrolled on this Reservation, if approved by the chiefs, under an adoption law of their own. Today we see the results as we have people on the rolls who are descendents of the western Indians. The chiefs were skeptical of the plains Indian because of being war-like tribes however, some got by as we have enrolled members who are descendents of the Crees, Souix, Black-feet, etc.
It is true that some of the western Indians could not make any headway with the Chiefs and were denied enrollment, therefore we had politics in our first Indian government because the Chiefs let the eastern tribes and Canadian Cree in. When the treaty was signed the Reservation was set out as the Salish, Koote-
nai, ani the Upper Pend d'Oreille. Of course, in some of the first meetings with the chiefs and Isaac Stevenson, Territorial Governor, we would be governed by our own laws and we would respect the white man's laws.
It has been a long trail since the Treaty was signed July 16, 1855, especially the changes in our white and Indian government. The Indians in the older days of this Reservation depended upon our local Catholic Priests and Sisters in recording their birth certificates with the Indian Agency and in some cases people who never went to a hospital for a maternity case, the child may have never been enrolled unless by coincidence that the name was entered in the books at the Agency by some official or someone who happened to be employed there; again we must admit politics and knowledge was the prime factor in the enrollment problem.
Today the Tribal Council is facing a serious problem which is enrollment. Our chartered Corporation consists of (Continued on page 2)